Girls all around the world are being denied an education. These same girls are being silenced when attempting to fight back against sexist oppression. However, there is one girl who has made sure that her voice is heard. Her name is Malala Yousafzai. PV senior, Cassie Berta, says, “People like Malala remind us how strongly girls can fight against sexist oppression, and encourage us all to take the steps and work to help everyone receive the kind of education that betters ourselves, our schools, our communities, our generation, and our world.” Malala is from Mingora, Pakistan, where girls used to be banned from attending school and cultural activities. The Taliban has destroyed schools and forced women to stay at home all day. However, Malala refuses to have her right to an education to be taken away.
Malala has been standing up to the Taliban since 2007 when education for girls was first banned in Pakistan. She has spent years campaigning against the Taliban and writing blogs about her experiences. On October 9, 2012, Malala was shot on the bus ride home from school. Members of the Taliban stopped Malala’s bus and asked for her by name. Then they shot three bullets at her, one of which entered and exited through her head and lodged in her shoulder. She suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to a Pakistani military hospital and was later transferred to an intensive care unit in Birmingham, England. After recovering and returning to school, Malala was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October of 2014. She became the youngest person to ever be awarded this prize. Supervisor of the Girls Learning International Club, Jenni Levora, says, “Malala winning the Nobel Peace Prize shows girls that they’re important and that the global community is finally making it a priority to promote girls’ access to education.” Today, four years later, Malala has been invited to speak at the United Nations in New York, published her own autobiography, won the Nobel Peace Prize, has created the Malala Fund, and continues to advocate for women’s right to an education.
Malala has been an encouraging role model to girls all around the world who are discriminated against because of their gender. Students at PV are very fortunate to have access to education. Clubs at PV such as Girls Learning International help show how much freedom we really have and provide aid to girls who don’t have the same access as we do. Levora mentions, “Most of us living in the United States have a lot of opportunities and we often take our rights for granted. We need to be aware of the quality of life in other parts of the world and do what we can to help others.” Although, actions are being taken to help offer schooling to everyone around the world, education is still far from being available to everyone. Luckily, there are people like Malala who make sure that her voice is heard and will not back down until all girls are offered the opportunity to receive an education.
